Sheffield Wednesday: Why Carlos is wary of new boss effect

Dom Howson

Head coach Carlos Carvalhal has warned his Sheffield Wednesday side not to fall victim to ‘new manager syndrome’ when they tackle Fulham this weekend.

The Owls head to Craven Cottage on Saturday looking to arrest their poor run of form away from Hillsborough. Carvalhal’s troops have failed to win any of their last six matches on the road in all competitions.

But new Fulham head coach Slavisa Jokanovic will be aiming to get off to a flying start when he takes charge of his match.

Serb Jokanovic, who steered Watford to the Premier League last season before he left Vicarage Road after contract discussions collapsed, watched from the stands as the Cottagers thrashed Rotherham United 4-1 in midweek.

Goals from Cauley Woodrow (2), Alex Kacaniklic and Ross McCormack secured Fulham’s first victory in 10 outings, lifting them up to 18th in the table.

Carvalhal, who has received criticism in some quarters for rotating his Owls squad in their loss at Middlesbrough, said: “We will play in completely different conditions to what we did at Middlesbrough. We have some time to recover and prepare for the game.

“It will be a difficult game at Fulham. They have changed their coach. They have new motivation but we will be ready to discuss the three points.”

Jokanovic says ex-Owls manager Stuart Gray, who had been in charge of Fulham since December 8, to remain in his role of senior coach at the club.

“Stuart is a great man and a great manager,” he said. “We are both here in the interests of Fulham and I believe we can work together to do a quality job.”